Tide of OSHA Fines, Violations Sweeps over Surfside Beach

April 5, 2002
OSHA issues three serious citations following the death of a Surfside Beach, S.C., firefighter from a heart attack. His chief is placed on probation for allowing the results of the firefighter's physical to sit unread on his desk.\r\n

A firefighter is dead of a heart attack and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation''s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) blames his employer, the Surfside Beach Fire Department. The agency fined the department $2,100 for three serious violations found during the investigation of the death of Assistant Chief Tom Andersen.

According to OSHA, the department should not have allowed Andersen to continue to fight fires because he failed a physical. On Jan. 21, while fighting a fire, Andersen collapsed and died of a heart attack. OSHA also found the department''s respiratory program did not meet state standards; a firefighter was permitted to fight a fire without proper fit-testing for the respirator he was wearing; and 16 firefighters were not fit-tested for respirators within the required 12-month period.

Town Administrator Michael Kovacs, saying there were some administrative problems going on in the fire department, admitted that only two firefighters were responsible for implementing state fire department regulations. One was Andersen, and the other is Chief Dan Thomas, who has been placed on probation for allowing the results of Andersen''s physical to sit unread on his desk for weeks.

The fire department avoided heavier fines because of it cooperated with the investigation and it has a good safety history with OSHA, said Jim Knight, OSHA spokesman in Columbia.

"OSHA''s goal is to identify and eliminate workplace hazards that could lead to serious injury or death, as opposed to just collecting penalties," said Knight.

Surfside Beach has 20 days to appeal to the state OSHA review board or pay the penalties. Kovacs said the town hopes to get the fine reduced.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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